Day 485 - Temuco, Chile
Trees were the thing as we drove 250 miles from Concepcion to Temuco. We were a long way now from the dust and rock of Peru and northern Chile. We were entering Patagonia and the land of the Mapuche, fierce native warriors that controlled this part of the world for centuries and refused to be subjugated by the Spanish or Chilean government for over 300 years. Finally in the 1880s, decimated by famine and disease, they succumbed. By some account 90% of the population was wiped out. The population has since rebounded but human rights are still an issue. Logging is the big industry here. The land is green and rich and pine, birch, willow and eucalyptus trees are everywhere, and so are the trucks that haul them. Pine is the “crop” of choice but the Mapuche want pine trees to be replaced by a more diverse ecosystem. They have traditionally been ranchers.
